Will You Go Out With Me? 5th Year
by Arya Alex Edge
Summary: Lily and James return for 5th Year in the second installment of 'Will You Go Out With Me'. It will probably make more sense if you read the first installment Disclaimer: I own nothing...except the rubbish dialogue...I own all of that.
1. Happy Barkmas!

**Hello, my lovelies. It's time for the first chapter of WYGOWM – 5****th**** Year! I'm sorry I didn't update on Sunday, but there was a NCIS marathon and I couldn't resist the cuteness that is Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. **

**Anyway, the story is kicking off with everyone coming back from Christmas break. Like I said on my profile, it's going to be written in 3****rd**** Person. Enjoy!**

Lily watched her parents disappear through the magical barrier that divided the Muggle and magical worlds. She sighed and turned around. Hoisting her rucksack up on her shoulder, she reached for the handle of her trunk. She pulled on it with a slight groan, realizing that she might have gone overboard with her packing.

Trudging her way through the crowds, she smiled at a group of First Years who were taking in the atmosphere. Making her way to one of the many open doors on the train, she tugged her trunk over the gap between the train and the platform.

She looked for her friends, but they were nowhere in sight. She pulled up in front of the last compartment on this section of the train; she peered inside. Her four friends: Mary MacDonald, Alice Fortescue, Marlene McKinnon and Emmeline Vance were lounging on the seats and gossiping. She could hear Marlene's bubbly voice through the glass door.

Pulling open the door, her friends rushed to greet her. Smiling, she pushed them off of her.

"I need to breathe, Marlene," she said, pulling Marlene off of her neck. Marlene released for a moment before grabbing her leg, rendering Lily unable to walk.

"I will never let go," Marlene said dramatically.

"You will if I make you," came Lily's threatening reply. Marlene instantly let go of Lily's leg and clambered over to her seat, where she buried her head into Emmeline's shoulder.

"Bugger off, Mar," Emmeline said, while Lily laughed. She stowed her trunk on the racks with the help of Mary and Alice.

"How was everyone's hols?" asked Marlene. "I got a brand new broom. It's amazing. James is going to be so-"

"Ergh," Lily gurgled. "Not _him_. Don't bring him up in conversation. The last thing I need to hear about is Potter."

"Well, glad to know I'm appreciated around here," said a deep male voice. Everyone looked up to see James leaning against the doorframe.

"Get out, Potter! Nobody likes you," boomed Lily, her cheeks becoming flushed.

"I like him," piped Marlene. Lily narrowed her eyes at her friend. "No I don't."

"Much better, Marlene. Now, Potter, get out of our compartment or I will take away points that we don't even have yet."

"Fine, I'll be going. By the way, Lily flower, would you like to go on a date with yours truly?" he smiled, his white teeth sparkling.

"Never will I ever go on a date with you," she hissed. Standing up from her seat, she looked up at the tall boy. He looked down at her and smiled wider.

"Yes, you will. You'll cave for the Potter Charm. Maybe not today, but someday you will," and with that, he strode away, only turning around to wink at her before turning into a compartment.

Emmeline shut her book and scooted closer to her friends. "Lily, calm down. He's nothing but a big prat and you know it. He just likes to get a rise out of you."

"I know he does, but he's just so infuriating." Lily looked down at her watch. "Bloody hell, I have to be at a Prefect's meeting in two minutes! I'll see you guys in an hour or so. Bye," she said, while ducking out of the compartment.

Alice was picking at her nails, Emmeline went back to reading, Marlene was attempting a card house and Mary stared at them. Alice looked up first.

"Mary, what are you staring at?" she asked.

"How could you guys not know what just happened? Lily and James just flirted and you guys are being downright bores."

"Mary, you think we don't know? The two were basically created for each other," said Emmeline.

"James talks about Lily during Quidditch practice. It's rather annoying after a while," said Marlene.

"What does he say?" asked Mary, her voice jumping an octave.

"He doesn't name her directly, but I know who he's talking about. He goes on about how he has someone special to talk to and if he's late, she'll become grumpy and even angrier with him than before."

"Ohmygod," said Mary in a rush. "He likes her so much and Lily is so clueless. How about we tell her tonight?"

"No!" the other three girls shouted in unison. Mary's eyes widened at the sudden increase in volume.

"Sorry, Mary, but if we told her she might just flip out," said Emmeline.

"Or she might clam up," said Alice.

"Or she would become a zombie and never talk to us again and she would roam about Hogwarts eating people's brains because she's in denial about liking James back," said Marlene. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"What?" she said, as she stuffed a Pumpkin Pasty into her mouth. Everyone shook their heads at her and continued their conversation.

"Lily, why is your bag moving?" whispered Remus, who sat in the chair next to her.

"Shush, they're trying to explain rounds to us," she scolded. Remus continued to look at her bag which continued to writhe.

"Lily," he said.

"Not now, Remus," she whispered fervently. She stared back up at the Head Boy and Girl.

"That's enough for now. You can go back to your compartments," said the Head Boy, Dash Mane.

Lily got up, but a hand pulled on her elbow. Remus looked up at her.

"Lily, sit down and open your bag," he said. She glanced at it and jumped when it moved. She hesitantly undid the metal clasp and pulled the flap open.

"Nettle?!" she half screamed. The black Spaniel leaped out of the bag and ran around the room. Lily watched as he leaped through the door that was about to close. She looked to Remus and they both scrambled out of their chairs and followed the dog.

Lily ran ahead of Remus and almost crashed into Heidi Bush, a Fourth Year Gryffindor.

"D'you know whose dog that was?" asked Heidi. "The thing almost clear knocked me over." And she strolled away with a glance down the corridor.

Lily surged forward once again while people were looking for the source of commotion. Lily heard a small bark.

"Hey, little guy. Aren't you just adorable, but where is your owner?" said a voice. Lily ran faster and came face-to-face with James Potter.

"Evans, you really should be more on top of this as a Prefect. This little guy almost went near the Slytherins," he said. "Who does he belong to?"

"Me," she said breathlessly, as Remus jogged up to them, clutching a stitch in his side. "And he stowed away," she defended.

He wordlessly handed Nettle over to her. "Well, hope you had a Happy Barkmas, then," he said, and he left her standing in the hall, but not before placing a small kiss on her cheek. Remus followed after him.

She touched her cheek and her temper flared.


	2. Small Hope

**Hola, mis lectores hermosos y sorprendentes. ****(Hello, my beautiful and amazing readers. I felt the need to say that in Spanish because I am rather crazy and brilliant at the same time. I am brilliantly crazy.)**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, even though it was in Third Person, which is different from 4****th**** Year. I also happened to forget to put the date on the first chapter; it was supposed to be Sunday, January 5, 1975. This chapter takes place on the same day, so don't fret when you see the same date.**

**Anyways, chapter two.**

_Sunday, January 5, 1975_

Lily stormed into her compartment, a struggling Nettle in her arms. She closed the door behind her and placed the dog on the floor. She sat in the corner and rested her head against the window.

"Lils, are you okay?" asked Alice.

"I'm fine," said Lily, her voice terse. Her eyes drifted to the floor, where Marlene played with Nettle.

"Okay," she said, "I just wanted to make sure that, um, that he didn't upset you. More than he usually does, I mean…I'll just be quiet now." Lily smiled.

"Sorry, Ali, I'm just annoyed. That's all. He thinks he can get away with anything and everything."

"You do know who he is, right?" asked Marlene.

"What do you mean?" said Lily.

"He's a Potter and he was raised a Potter. You should see him at the balls that the Potters attend. He's respectful. It's actually kinda creepy, seeing him in fancy clothes and all well-mannered."

"Potter," Lily choked, "being respectful and kind? Preposterous! It can't be plausible, or possible, for that matter."

"It doesn't matter anymore because the train is almost at Hogwarts," Emmeline said, her voice filled with annoyance.

Lily took a pencil out of her bag and Transfigured it into a leash, which she clipped on the loop on Nettle's collar.

"McGonagall is going to have a fit when she sees him," said Lily. She looked to Emmeline for guidance who, in turn, pointed to Marlene; Lily whipped around to face her.

"Oh, no. Not another crazy plan that you think is _so_ brilliant," said Lily, after seeing a mischievous gleam in Marlene's brown eyes.

"C'mon, Lily, it's not crazy and it will be totally brill. McGonagall doesn't have to see Nettle. We can just put him back in your bag and sneak him up to the dormitory. She'll never know," said Marlene fervently.

"Where, if I agreed to this ridiculous plan, which I never would, would he go to the bathroom? Are we just going to let him relieve himself on your bed?"

Marlene frowned. "Lils, you realize that you are a witch, right? You wave your little stick and magic happens. Well, how about you just Conjure grass?!" she nearly yelled. Lily tilted her head.

"It could work, but it won't. I'll just tell Dumbledore and he'll Floo me home and I'll take Nettle and then I'll come back. It'll take all of two minutes, instead of waiting for Easter hols."

"Killjoy," muttered Marlene. Lily stuck her tongue out at Marlene. The train lurched forward and Lily grabbed the door handle to steady herself. The girls helped each other lift their luggage off of the racks above and they filed out of the compartment.

Lily trudged forward, trying to keep hold of Nettle's leash, her knapsack and suitcase. She weaved her way through the crowd until she heard a deep, booming voice call, "Firs' Years! Over 'ere!"

She almost pushed Ian Creevey out of the way to get to Hagrid. She walked up beside the half-giant and waved hello.

"Well, if it isn' little 'ole Lily Evans." He swung his lantern around so he could see her. She smiled at him.

"Hello, Hagrid. Look, I need to ask for a favor," she said.

"Wha' is it?" And then Nettle scratched Hagrid's leg and barked. He looked down and petted the dog.

"This wouldn' happen ter be the favor, would it?" She nodded sheepishly.

"It'll only be one night and then I'll ask Professor Dumbledore if I can Floo home to drop him off. Please, Hagrid." She looked at him with large eyes and a pleading expression.

"Oh, all righ'. I'll take 'im to me cabin fer the night. After I drop the Firs' Years off."

"Thank you, Hagrid. You're the best!" He nodded his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Get goin'. Yeh don' wan' to miss the carriages, do yeh?"

"No, I don't. Thank you again, Hagrid." And she rushed back into the crowd.

* * *

"You doofus! Why would you kiss her on the cheek?" yelled Remus.

"I dunno. It seemed like a good idea at the time," said James, his tone relaxed.

"Sirius, would you have kissed her on the cheek?"

"I'm not allowed to go within ten yards of the girl, so don't bring me into this," said Sirius.

"What about you Peter?" asked Remus.

"Erm, no…?" he replied, his answer meek. Remus made a sound deep from his throat, a growl of annoyance. He returned to his book. The carriage went over a rock and it bounced. Remus's book jumped from his lap and hit Sirius squarely in the nose.

"OW! What is this, Remus? A boulder?" yelled Sirius, brandishing the large book in one hand and clutching his nose with the other. "WHY ARE YOU READING A BOULDER?!"

"Sirius, you bloody moron, that's an old book. Give it and stop waving it around like it's some stupid banner," he said, as he plucked the text from Sirius' hands.

"I guess I really am bloody," Sirius said, as he withdrew his hand from his nose to reveal blood trickling out of it, "but I don't know about the moron part."

"_Episkey_," said Remus, pointing his wand at Sirius. Sirius shivered a bit as his nose stopped bleeding. Remus turned back to James. "Look, James, it's not that we don't know that you're obsessed with her, but she's not into you. Simple as that."

James looked down for a moment, and then back up to Remus. "I know she doesn't like me, but I have hope. Small, small hope that you might've just crushed with that giant boulder of yours."

"Guys, guys, guys, look! Look, it's Hogwarts!" screamed Sirius. The other three boys rolled their eyes.

The carriage came to a stop and the boys got out and walked up the stone stairs. A gust of wind blew past James's face as he looked behind him to see Lily getting out her carriage. He sighed and walked forward.


	3. Firelight

**Hello! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. If you haven't visited my profile, there is a link on it. This link will take you to a Google Doc with information about Lily and James and everyone else. It will have their rosters on it, details about the character's appearance and teachers.**

**Now, on to the third chapter!**

_Sunday, January 5, 1975_

Everyone took their seats at the large tables that spanned the entire Great Hall. Lily, Mary, Alice, Marlene and Emmeline sat far from James and the others; Alice slid into the seat next to Frank Longbottom, a Gryffindor in their year.

James sat with Sirius next to him and Remus and Peter across the table. All of the students in the hall were chattering until a loud voice interrupted their conversations. They all swiveled in their seats to look at their Headmaster, everyone except the Slytherins, who continued to whisper.

"Welcome back, students!" he said heartily. "I would like to remind you that your classes will resume tomorrow morning. And that the Forbidden Forest will continue to remain to students." His gaze wandered to where James and Sirius were sitting. "I would also like to inform every one of the standings for House points. As follows, Gryffindor in the lead with five-hundred and sixty-two points; Ravenclaw in second with five-hundred and seventeen points; Hufflepuff in third with four-hundred and forty-three points; and Slytherin in fourth with three-hundred and twenty-four points. The next Quidditch match will be on the eighteenth of January between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Now, enough chitchat. Enjoy the Feast!" He spread his arms wide and food popped into existence on the tables.

Sirius and Peter squirmed with delight as the large amounts of food appeared. Within seconds, the two boys had piled a portion of almost every dish onto their large golden plates, which once gleamed. The rest of the Gryffindor table stared at the two: The boys stared in awe, while the girls grimaced with disgust; James and Remus had both emotions etched on their face as they watched their friends shovel food into their mouths.

Lily shook her head while Marlene cheered them on. After a moment, everyone returned to the towering piles of food. Amidst the loud talking you could hear Sirius belching.

It took almost an hour to finish eating. Dumbledore had stood back up and dismissed everyone with a good night. The students made their way to their respective dorms to prepare themselves for the next day.

The girls got changed into pajamas before heading into the common room. They gathered in a half-circle around the fireplace, which was cold. Lily produced her wand and muttered, "Incendio." The fireplace burst with light as the logs ignited.

Getting comfortable, they giggled. Mary was the first to speak. "Did you see Carter Thorn tonight?" They all nodded.

"She is total drama with a capital 'D,'" said Marlene. "Did ya know that she yelled at me on the train when I went to the bathroom?" The girls shook their heads. "I must've had a piece of dirt on my shoe that fell off when I was in the hallway and she almost stepped on it and screamed. James came out and consoled her. They seem pretty close."

"Must _everything_ come back to Potter?" asked Lily, with a groan.

"Yes," a husky voice whispered in her ear. She jumped and turned around, her fist flying…right in to James' stomach. He double over and fell to the ground. Sirius popped out from behind an armchair, staggering while laughing and pointing at James. Remus and Peter emerged from the boys' staircase: Remus shook his head, while Peter helped James up.

"I'm fine," said James slowly, as he propped himself up on the edge of the sofa. "Geez, Evans, you could be a Chaser if you damn wanted to be, with an arm like that." A smile appeared on his face.

Lily huffed. "Why does everything come back to you? Everything!" she hissed. "Why are you even here? I thought you guys stopped coming down here after break in third year. Or, at least, that's what you told us."

James' smile grew wider. "We may have been listening in, instead of contributing to the conversation."

"You were eavesdropping last year?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

"Go away, Potter."

He put on a puppy face. "But we wanted to gossip with you guys."

"Is it true that you and Thorn are dating?" asked Mary. James only smiled crookedly. "It is! You're dating Thorn!" Mary glanced at Lily. "Okay, that was my last question, Lils."

"How could you date that whore, mate?" asked Marlene.

"She's not a whore, Mar! She is just very giving of herself," James defended.

"Of her body, you mean," exclaimed Alice. Everyone stared at Alice. "What?" she said, "I can be loud if I want."

"Alice is right," said Emmeline. "Last semester alone she dated over six guys. In a span of two months!"

"Whatever, guys. Let Potter be a moron by himself," said Lily.

"I already tried to talk him out of it, Lily," said Remus. "But Sirius egged him on."

"Hey!" yelled Sirius, who was tackled by Remus.

"Shut up, you prat! The entire castle will wake up!"

"Stop it! Everyone!" said Lily, who was practically screaming. "Potter can do whatever his black little heart desires. Now, you four," she pointed to the boys, "go upstairs. And stay there."

The boys turned around and trooped up the stairs, James and Sirius grumbling the whole way.

"How does she get them to behave?" asked Emmeline. There was silence as the girls stared at the fire.

"Now I have to listen to _him_ rant about Thorn at practice. Lovely," said Marlene.

All of the girls chuckled. "Thorn uses way too much make-up, don't ya think?" asked Alice.

"Yes," they responded in unison.

"Enough with Thorn, guys," said Marlene, a mischievous smile spreading on her face, "but isn't everyone wondering who wittle Lily likes?"

All eyes turned to Lily, her pale cheeks suddenly flaring with patches of pink. "C'mon, Lil, tell us. Please," they pleaded.

"Toby, Toby Pike," conceded Lily. They gasped.

"Have you even talked to him, Lils?" asked Marlene. "If not, I can totally fix that."

"How?" asked Alice.

"He's Keeper for Gryffindor. I see him almost every day, duh."

"But he's a sixth year, Lils. How do you expect him to ask you out?" asked Emmeline.

"Did I not just tell you that I got this covered?!" asked Marlene.

"C'mon, guys. Let's go to bed. We have classes tomorrow," said Lily, who, with the help of everyone, pulled Marlene up from the floor.


	4. Running and Duels

**I know that last chapter might've been a little off, and I'm sorry. I also noticed that my chapters always range from between 1,000-1,200 words and it bothers me. **

**Anyway, this chapter is going to be extra special. It's going to be a long, amazing chapter. Or I hope it will. Continue reading!**

_Monday, January 6, 1975_

Lily's eyes fluttered open as the white sunlight creeped into her dorm. She looked around and everyone else shifted so that their backs were turned away from the window. Lily grumbled and looked at her clock. _Why do I always wake up so early?_ she thought.

She dragged her feet across the floor and got dressed. Alice and Emmeline woke as she was tying her shoelaces. Each grabbing a pillow, they threw them at Mary and Marlene, who shouted curses with raspy voices.

"Get up, lazy bums!" exclaimed Emmeline. Marlene blindly grabbed for the pillow lying at her feet. She threw it at Emmeline's face with precision; Emmeline yelped and stumbled.

"You guys can be late then. I wonder how Professor Fence will like you showing up to DADA thirty minutes into class. That's sure to score you at least a week cleaning the trophy room with the boys, right, Lily?" said Alice.

"Oh, definitely, maybe more," responded Lily. Marlene swore and sat up. Mary still hadn't moved. Lily, Alice and Emmeline looked at each other and nodded; they all headed for Mary's bed. Alice and Emmeline each grabbed an arm, while Lily wrapped her fingers around Mary's ankles. They pulled until she woke, yelling at each of them.

"ALRIGHT!" she yelled. "I'M UP. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE." Mary was not a morning person at all. She shuffled to the bathroom and slammed the door with a huff. The rest of the girls started laughing, but stopped when they heard a snore.

"Marlene!" exclaimed Alice. "Get off of the floor, you prat." Lily came over to Marlene and prodded her with her foot.

"She may be dead, Ali. We'll have to make sure." She gave Marlene a soft kick on the shin, who stood up.

"That bloody hurt, you little bugger," she said, rubbing her leg.

"I barely touched you," said Lily. "Now get a move on. I'm going downstairs. Alice, Em, are you coming?" They nodded.

"See ya later, lazy head," taunted Emmeline.

"Why are they so difficult in the morning?" moaned Alice.

"I dunno. They don't like the sunlight. Maybe they're vampires!" said Lily, a smile on her lips.

"I hope not, Evans," said Potter, who had materialized in front of them. The girls jumped. "Where's Marlene? She was supposed to be at practice this morning at five."

"James, I am worried about you," said Alice. "Five in the morning is too early to run around the stupid Quidditch pitch. How do you even see? And it's freezing."

"It's not early enough," he grumbled.

"You're crazy, Potter," said Lily.

"You would know all about being crazy, wouldn't you, Evans?" he sneered. Alice looked at them. They barely exchanged two sentences and they were going at it again.

"So, how's the…um, the weather! How's the weather, James? Was it cold out today because I was thinking of going outside and studying and I didn't want t-" Alice was cut off.

"Oh, stuff it, Potter. What's gotten your panties in a twist?" asked Lily. James didn't respond, but pushed past her and went up the stairs to his dormitory. After a moment, Lily said, "He's such a prat."

Lily stared at the stairs. She heard a muffled bang and a few snatches of somebody yelling.

"Let's just go on to breakfast," said Emmeline, prodding Lily in the back and steering her out of the common room. They made it to the fourth floor before they saw Marlene and Mary coming from the other stairs across the school. They beat the three girls to the landing and waited for them.

"Lils, what happened with James?" asked Mary.

"Nothing. He was just being a tosser," she responded.

"I want bacon," complained Marlene.

"Then walk down the stairs. You're in my way," said Emmeline. "Or else Sirius will eat it all." Marlene's eye became large and she ran off without them, muttering, "He better not." The girls laughed and ambled to the Great Hall.

They pushed through the doors to see everyone eating. The Slytherins weren't talking to each other, which was normal. The Gryffindors were talking and joking around. Ravenclaws had books lying all around them and swapping answers and theories with one another. Some of the Hufflepuffs were arguing loudly over which Quidditch team was the best.

The girls sat next to Marlene, who had many pieces of bacon piled on her plate. The girls stared at her. "Just in case Sirius gets any ideas," she defended. Lily grabbed the topmost piece, much to Marlene's chagrin and walked to her seat.

"Marlene," said Alice. "James was really annoyed with you this morning. That's what started that stupid shouting match between Lily and James. He was all touchy about you not showing up to practice."

Once again, Marlene's eyes widened. "I had practice today?" she asked, her voice a deathly whisper.

"McKinnon!" shouted a deep voice.

"Ahh!" screamed Marlene. She picked up her plate of bacon. "Alice! Em! Lily! Mary! Mourn me, please. And I want those expensive flowers on my coffin. None of the cheap stuff. Or save me now and you won't have to waste tears! He's going to kill me!" She got up and ran behind the girls, using them as a shield.

James stormed after her when she began to sprint away. He grabbed the hem of her robes. "Marlene, you need to show up for practice next time. It would have been nice for Sirius to practice with his own partner instead of Stebbins!"

"I'm sorry, O Great and Powerful Master."

"Don't let it happen again," he said seriously. A smile broke on his face. "C'mon, McKinnon. At least share the bacon as penance." She clutched the plate to her chest, but he was faster. A grin and a gulp of bacon and he was gone. Marlene let out a long breath and walked back to her seat.

The bell rang as she finished her last piece.

Everyone in the hall grumbled as they chewed their last bits of breakfast and hoisted their heavy rucksacks on their back. They all trudged to the doors of the Great Hall, where there was a large pileup of students. Lily could see some First Years getting pushed by older students.

The girls pushed their way through the throng and hurried to their Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Mr. Alfred Fence was a new teacher at Hogwarts, and it seemed, to the students, at least, that there was a new DADA teacher every year. He was of average height and his head was completely devoid of hair. His eyes were covered by thick square lenses that were mounted in a green rectangular frame that was too large for his face. His lips were thin and his skin was pale; today, he forgot to shave the other half of his face.

Everyone sniggered at his beard as they walked into the class. Lily and Alice sat at their table and Mary and Marlene sat behind them; Emmeline went to sit with one of her Hufflepuff friends on the other side of the room.

The late bell rang and James and Sirius walked in. They sat at the table in front of Lily and Alice. Remus and Peter were in the desk next to their friends.

"Thank you for joining us, Misters Potter and Black. Today, we will have duels. Your partners are the people sitting next to you. Halfway through class, your partner will become the person in front of you. For instance, Miss Evans would become partners with Mr. Potter, and Miss Fortescue would be partners with Mr. Black. I will ring a bell when you must switch. We will only be using _defensive_ spells, keep that in mind, unless you want to spend the evening with me. Now go!"

Lily turned to Alice. "Might as well get started," she said, over the cacophony of the other students shouting spells. They spaced themselves the width of their desk. "I'll use Stupefy and you'll use Protego, and then we'll switch," said Lily. Alice nodded.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!" said Alice. Lily's spell bounced off of Alice's shield and hit Sirius in the chest, who had just thrown a Stunning Spell at James. Sirius's spell doubled back on itself and he was hit again. He crumpled to the floor, his legs bending and giving way underneath him.

James fell to the floor laughing as he looked at his unconscious best friend. Professor Fence walked up their aisle and kneeled near Sirius. He looked up at James. "Mr. Potter, this is not a laughing matter. _Rennervate._" Sirius' eyes fluttered open. Professor Fence walked away, muttering, "Not even five minutes, and there are already casualties."

What time they had left was not wasted. Professor Fence rung the bell and said, "Switch." He resumed whatever it was that he was doing at his desk. Lily motioned to James to come to her table and Alice left to go over to Sirius, who was rubbing his chest like it hurt.

"So, Miss Evans, how has your day been so far?" James asked, as he leaned against the table.

"I've seen you too many times for one morning, Potter. Let's just get this over with."

"But I have one question for you before we start."

"I know what the question is going to be, Potter. And I'm not answering it." She looked down at her bag and pushed it further under the table. When she looked back up, she staggered backwards, for James had been within inches of her.

"What is wrong with you, you prat?" she hissed.

"Nothing. I just like to see how far I can get until I'm completely under your skin. Now, back to my question: Will you go out with me?" He flashed a smile. Lily bit her lip and her eyes seemed to ignite.

"Never will I go out with you! Why do you have to be like this? Why do you have to be so annoying and arrogant?!" And before she could do a thing about it, she waved her wand and shouted, "_Stupefy!_"

He flicked his own wand easily and created a shield. Lily's spell dissipated into his. "Now, now, love, don't get your panties in a twist. Aren't those the exact words you said to me this morning?"

"Potter, I swear that you will severely hate me the next time you ask me a goddamn question."

"Love, swear words are very unbecoming."

"I'm not your love, and I can damn well swear when I want to, Potter."

"There you go again. You should go see an anger management counselor sometime in the near future."

"I do not have anger issues, but if I did, then you would have to go see a Healer to see what they could do about that inflated head of yours."

"You're not much on par with comebacks today, Evans."

"Do I have to be? You already know I hate you, so why I waste my wit on you?"

"Because I am amazing and everything awesome in your small world."

"You have nothing to do with my world, Potter."

"I'm in it now, aren't I?"

"I wish you weren't!" screamed Lily, she raised her wand again.

"Put the wand down. There's no need for that."

"_Flipendo!_" James was thrown back several feet before crashing into a desk. He got up with a groan and rubbed his back.

"Didn't I say that there wasn't a need for that?"

"Potter! Evans!" yelled Professor Fence. "See me after class. The rest of you return to your seats. The bell will ring in a moment." Lily and James returned to their own seats. Sirius went back to James and Alice returned to Lily.

James didn't answer any of Sirius's questions, while Lily told Alice without hesitation. The bell rang and the two semi-enemies made their way to their teacher's desk.

"I am ashamed of the way you two acted today. Miss Evans, not to be rude, but I don't want excuses of why James annoyed you today. You are to report to Hagrid for detention after dinner. Be there at 6:45 sharp. Now go to your next class."

They left the classroom and hurried outside to Herbology. They arrived in Greenhouse Three many minutes after the late bell.

"Evans, Potter. Do you have a reason for being late?" asked Professor Sprout, her voice stern.

"Um…" stammered Lily, who was trying to regain her breath.

"Yes. After class, we got held up by Professor Fence," said James.

"Why don't I believe you, Potter?" He opened his mouth, but she said, "That was rhetorical question, Potter. Now take a seat."

Everyone in their class looked at them. Both of them had patches of color high on their cheeks and they were both a little breathless. The Ravenclaws, who had not been at their prior class, looked at them skeptically. But the one person who truly cared why her boyfriend was hanging around with a Mudblood was Carter Thorn.

**I said this was going to be a long chapter, didn't I? It's 2,171 words. That's the longest chapter I've ever written. **

**But I want to note something that has been making me a tad annoyed lately: The lack of reviews. I know this isn't my best work, but I would appreciate **_**some**_** feedback, even if it's like, "Hey, good chapter," or "Hey, not your best, but can't wait until the next one."**

**I'm sorry if that was a smidge rude, but I was annoyed, so I stated my problem. But I really do hope that you enjoyed this. Because if you didn't, I can take back whatever I said about you guys being my motivation. **

**I think I'm joking, but I'm also very hungry, so ignore my mood swings.**

**BYE!**

**P.S. If you want behind the scenes info of the making of this FanFic (spreadsheets and info) check out this link: ** spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjpLhuQGfSzkdC1JRHROMTlzcXY 2T0N5TWNaclRobEE

**P.S. This link may contain spoilers to not many things, but it may. I'm not sure because I'm the author.**


	5. Eavesdropping

**ERMAHGERD. I am so sorry I haven't updated in over a month. I've been working on my novel and I got really caught up in that lately. And I'm really sorry that this chapter is so short, but there will be another update this week. I promise that it will be over 2,000 words.**

**Hello, guys. If you've checked out my profile recently, you'll see that I have written a new story (One-shot). It's called **_**Purple and Pink**_**. It's about the relationship between Lily's mother and aunt, who I made twins. Lily's mother sees the same thing happening in her children's childhood that she happened in hers.**

** This is going to be a different kind of chapter. It's going to be from Carter Thorn's POV, who is James' girlfriend and enemy of Lily. You're meant to hate her, so don't push those feelings away if you get them.**

_Monday, January 6, 1975 (After dinner)_

Carter strode down the hallway, her cloak billowing behind her. She stared ahead, not looking any fellow classmates in the eyes.

She made her way up the staircase, passing the landing to the fourth floor. She could see the entrance to her common room one floor up, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of auburn and decided to follow it. She turned on her heel and disappeared into the corridor.

Carter kept her distance from the redhead as she following her down the hall.

Carter had never been in this part of the corridor, and was confused about where she was after in the first five turns that Lily made.

"Who does she have to meet that it has to be this private?" Carter asked herself. She didn't receive an answer for another ten minutes.

With bated breath, Carter leaned around the corner and saw Lily sitting in a window seat. She could hear a voice; it was deeper.

_ Maybe it's James, _Carter thought, _but why would he be with Lily?_

"Evans, just listen to me!"

"Why should I, Potter?" hissed Lily.

"Because I'm telling you something important; Snape is evil. Don't you see it? He hangs around with Mulciber and Regulus. He worships the Dark Lord.:

"Potter, why are you telling me this? We're not even friends! Is my friendship with Snape some sort of sick joke to you, Potter?!"

"Evans, just take my advice: Stay away from Snape."

"You can't tell me what to do! Goodbye, Potter," she said coldly. James stood up to reach out to her, but she trod on his foot and hurried away; she didn't notice Carter in the shadows.

James swore. "Why does she have to be so bloody difficult? And a better question would be why I'm attracted to her."

"It's 'cause you're insane, Prongsie," said a cloaked voice.

"Merlin's pants, Pads! You scared the magic out of me."

"The magic?" questioned Sirius, his tone sardonic.

"Yes, the magic. We're bloody wizards, Padfoot."

"Right-o, mate. Let's go back to the dorms. Maybe you're fiery love for Evans will be tempered with a couple of shots."

"You still have that Firewhiskey under your bed? I thought you drank it all that one night, you know, when you—"

"Shush. No reminders. No, I saved it for you because I'm the bestest friend you'll ever have."

The two boys joked and shoved each other as they left the alcove.

Carter waited until she couldn't hear them anymore and she lit her wand and tried to find her way out. With her luck, a Prefect would write her up for breaking curfew, but luckily, no one was around as she tiptoed through the Ravenclaw common room door and went to sleep.


	6. Shush and Eat Cake

**Hey, guys. I'm sorry about not updating yesterday. My dad was watching the Hallmark Channel and he roped me in and we ended up watching, like, three movies. **

** Did you guys like Carter's chapter, despite it being really short? **

** Anyway, this is about James. We're going to be seeing something really important, so I hope you enjoy!**

_Monday, January 6, 1975 (late at night; 5__th__ Year Gryffindor Boys Dorms)_

"James, I think you should put down the bottle," said Remus.

"Shush, Remy," James said back.

"Peter, it's okay. It's a difficult spell to master. You're doing fine. We'll fix your tail after this session," said Sirius, who was gently teaching Peter how to perform a spell.

"I don't think I can do it, Sirius," said Peter, his voice trembling.

"Yes, you can. Just focus. Really concentrate on the physical form of the rat."

"Okay," he replied. Peter's face scrunched as he recessed to the deep corners of his mind. He began to shrink.

The brown rat squeaked up at Sirius as he escaped the draping fabric.

"Merlin's knickers! He did it! Wormtail, you did it!" exclaimed Sirius. Remus extended his hand to the rat, who was Peter. Peter scurried to Remus and nestled in the palm of his hand.

"What about changing back, Sirius? Did you teach him how to do that?" asked Remus, who, with his other hand, pulled the Firewhiskey bottle out of James's hand, who exclaimed loudly.

"What are you doing, mate?!" yelled James.

"Saving your liver," said Remus, his voice monotone. James let out a humph and grabbed a box of candy from under his bed. Remus rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Sirius and Peter.

"I know how to show him, Moony. I can change and show Peter—"

"He's seen you changed hundreds of times," Remus interjected.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to see it one more time!"

Peter the rat jumped off of Remus' hand and onto the floor. The two boys watched him as he began to shift back into Peter.

"Guys, I did it!" yelled Peter. He tackled Sirius to the ground. "We have to celebrate."

"Good idea. Off to the kitchens!" said Sirius. "Prongsie, may we borrow your cloak?" James groaned in response.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Sirius. He grabbed a shimmery ball of fabric and handed it to Peter. He walked back to James and slapped his cheek, who attempted to stand, but fell back to the floor.

"C'mon, mate. Stand up. You look pathetic," said Sirius.

"Sirius, he's drunk," exclaimed Remus.

"Thank you for pointing that out, Moony, as if it wasn't apparent already."

"Thank you, Padfoot, for not saying that with sarcasm," he replied sarcastically.

"Was that sarcasm?"

"No, it was my normal voice."

"Was that also sarcasm?"

"Whoever says 'sarcasm' again is gonna get punched," said James.

"Sar-" James lightly punched his friend.

"I warned you, Pads."

"He doesn't seem so drunk, Remy."

"I'm not drunk, just a little buzzed. Can we go to the Kitchens now? I could eat three cakes by myself."

"Sure, Prongsie, we'll get you some cake, but we're actually celebrating Peter's accomplishment in performing a successful Transformation."

"HE TRANSFORMED?! WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY BLOODY TELL ME?!"

"You were sitting right there," said Remus.

"I know, but he was so small. And cute. Adorable, really."

"Thank you," said Peter.

"For what?"

"You said I was adorable when I'm a rat."  
"Whoa," said Sirius, "I thought I was always the adorable one, no matter whether I was a fluffy puppy or an attractive human."

"Nope," said James, who made his way to the door dragging Remus behind him. Sirius grabbed Peter and they ran.

James hid behind a pillar and looked for teachers. After a moment he motioned for Peter to throw the Cloak. He caught it and draped it around him. His socked feet slid on the marble as he jogged back to his friends. They all scrambled under the Cloak, with Sirius and James bending their knees so that their feet wouldn't show.

They tickled the pear and stomped down the short hallway to the Kitchens.

"Master James!" squeaked Ellie, who was sitting by the fire, reading a copy of The Daily Prophet. "What evers will your mother think of you if she ever saw you like this?"

"Hello, Ellie. How are you doing today?" hiccupped James. "Isn't the weather lovely?"

"Master Remus, what troubles has Master James gots nows?"  
"Lily," Sirius replied for Remus.

"Mistress Lily is a sweets girl. Why does he anger her so?"

"I can't tell you the reason, Ellie, but they just drive each other nuts."

"Is that chocolate cake I spy, Ellie?"

"Yes, Master Sirius."

"Are they for anyone specifically?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Master Sirius."

"Us, right?" he asked, already heading towards the delicious cakes.

"No. They are fors Mistress Lily and her friends."

"But, Ellie, how could you do this?! How could you make food for the enemy?" exclaimed James.

"Master James, please sits down. Your mother would break your broom if she saws you nows." James slumped into a booth attached to the wall.

"You're not going to tell her, are you, Ellie?"

"I should, but not now. Ifs you do it again then I has no choice," she said, while toddling to one of the many large refrigerators in the Kitchens. She pulled a plastic bottle filled with a spring green liquid out. She poured it into a small glass and handed it to James.

"What is this, Ellie?" he asked suspiciously, whirling the liquid around the glass and lifting it to his nose.

"It's for your drinking misdeeds, Master James." He grimaced and tilted his head back. The tonic slipped down his throat, but it settled his stomach and calmed the pounding in his head almost immediately.

"You are a wizard, Ellie," he said.

"Oh, Master James, I am nothings of the sorts. I am but your lovable House Elf."

"I still think you're magical. Especially when it comes to baking," he said, his eyes drifting towards the counter with the cakes.

"Oh, yous boys are good at persuasion. Yous can has one cake, buts that is all. Now, hurry out of here before Filch catches yous." She hugged everyone and motioned for Sirius to take the cake, which he took with a smile.

They filed out of the room and threw the Cloak over them. Under the fabric, they were messing with a paper. The Marauder's Map showed the dots of the four boys all huddled together. They saw two dots coming closer to them.

They could hear Filch talking to his kitten, Berkley. They spotted the large tapestry that hid a secret staircase. They quietly scurried to it and ducked behind it. They slowly moved up the stairs as Filch walked to his office.

They looked at the map and saw him and his cat going in to his room. They let out silent breaths.

Minutes later, they were back in their dorm. Sitting in a floor around the cake, James reached for it first. Sirius slapped his hand away.

"I have to make a toast to Wormtail first, Prongsie." James grumbled something incoherent, but retracted his hand.

"Now, Wormtail, you have worked very hard for this moment and tonight, you have finally achieved your goal. We commend you for your efforts and reward our friend with cake. The bestest cake in the whole universe," said Sirius, his speech ending.

Peter high-fived Sirius while Remus cut the cake. He handed a slice to everyone and took one for himself.

"I can't believe you guys are Animagi. Just for me," said Remus, his voice timid.

"It wasn't just for you, Remy," said James.

"We did it for the thrill of being illegal," said Sirius.

"This is illegal!" exclaimed James. Everyone stared at him. "Jeez, no one knows how to take a joke."

"I love you, Prongs, but that joke was awful," said Sirius.

"I know," sulked James. Remus and Peter exchanged worried looks. Sirius patted his best friend on the back.

"Alright, losers, I'm going to sleep," said Remus.

"G'night, nerd," said Sirius.

"Goodnight, stupid," he responded as he climbed into bed.

"I'm going to bed, too," said Peter.

"Okay, party poopers. Sirius and I are going downstairs," said James. Sirius picked up the plate with the cake on it and followed James down the stairs to the Common Room. They stopped when they heard female voices.

"Marlene, Potter is such a brat. Yesterday, he sent a school owl with an anonymous note to meet me somewhere. I met him there and he started ranting about how evil Sev was. I know Severus has gotten mixed up in some bad Slytherin things, but he's still the same person," said Lily.

"Lil, Snape isn't the same anymore. He might've been last year, but not now. James is usually right about these things. His dad is an Auror. He grew up knowing who would end up being the bad guy. He's just looking out for you."

"I don't want him to look out for me."

"Lil, he really likes you."

"Really? Because when a guy likes a girl he goes out with her enemy. 'Cause that totally makes girls like me fall head over heels for pompous gits like him."

Marlene giggled, but it stopped almost as soon as it had started. "Lil, don't be so harsh. He knows to give you space. He has an awesome total of one-and-a-half wingmen to help through whatever problems you throw at him."

"One-and-a-half?"

"Well, Sirius is the one and Remus is the half."

"What about Peter?" Lily asked slyly.

"What about Peter? He's not much of a wingman, so I didn't even give him privilege of being an eighth of a wingman."

"That's so mean, Marlene."

"That kind of rhymed, right?"

"Yes, yes it did," said Lily, "Do you hear something?"

"Like what kind of 'something'?"

"Like a people sort of something." James heard this and pushed Sirius back up the stairs. James tripped over his pants hem and he steadied himself, but not before his hand smacked against the wall, causing a slapping to resound throughout the common room.

"Oh, I get what you mean by a 'people sort of something' now," said Marlene, who marched towards the boys' staircase and caught James' hand, who latched on to Sirius. "I've got them. It's the _boys_."

"They were listening _again_?" exclaimed Lily.

"We're very persistent," chimed Sirius, his arm cradling the cake to his side.

"Where'd you get that cake?" asked Lily.

"The Kitchens," replied Sirius.

"Did you nick it from the counter?"

"No, Ellie gave it to us, but don't worry, she's making you another one."

"What were you two snooping on us for?" hissed Marlene.

"We weren't," said James, "Honestly, we weren't. We came down to finish the cake because Remus and Peter went to sleep and we didn't want to disrupt them."

"Are we accepting this as a reasonable answer, General Lily?"

"Yes, Colonel Marlene. Let them go. We were going upstairs anyway, weren't we?"

"Yes, we were."

"Goodnight, boys. Don't let this happen for the third time," said Lily, who turned and slowly went up the stairs, Marlene behind her. When they were gone, the boys sat on the couch and began eating the cake. James paused, the cake halfway to his mouth.

"Does she really feel that way about me?"  
"Are you blind?"

"No."

"Do you not listen to Remus and I tell you that she doesn't reciprocate your feelings?"

"I try not to. They make me feel lame."

"Why is that?"

"Because I, one of the most eligible bachelors at Hogwarts, rivaling only you, can't get with the girl that's never had a boyfriend."

"I thought you loved her and wanted to be the father of her children, what happened to that?"

"I do, but she'll never go out with me."

"Now who's making who feel lame?"

"I know I am. I get it, but tis the truth."

"Buddy, you're being very emotional right now. We're eating cake. We're like girls."

"We're not girls, Pads. You're overreacting. But I should get over her."

"You should, so I don't have to hear about it anymore."

"You are the worst friend ever. Why do I still talk to you?"

"Because you can't resist me. We've been over this multiple times. Some people even think you're gay for me." James hit Sirius with a pillow. "Are you flirting with? Merlin's pants, you're flirting with me."

"Shush and eat your cake."

"Didn't Marie something say that?"

"The phrase is: Let them eat cake. And Marie Antoinette never said that."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," James said. Sirius rolled his eyes and threw a rather large piece of the pastry in the air. He tilted his head back just in time to allow to catch it.

"Alright, I have to give you props for that one. Eleven out of ten."

"You broke the scale, Prongs. You can't go past ten. Eleven is fictional. It's never been done before."

"Fine, I give you a ten."

"That's just mean. You should've given me a ten and a quarter."

"I thought you—whatever. I'm not going to put stock in what you say anymore."

"I'm done with the cake. Can we go upstairs now?"

"Sure, mate. You know, if you keep eating sweets like that, you're going to get real fat."

"How fat?"

"You're broom won't be able to fly."

"I swear, I'll do five extra laps every practice."

"You'd better," said James. He walked up the stairs as Sirius Vanished the plate.

"Wait for meeee!"

"No."

"Fine. Be like that," huffed Sirius. He took skipped every step and tackled James just outside their door. They both crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

From inside the room, Remus groggily yelled, "Sirius! James!"

The pair looked at each other. "Isn't he sleeping?" James whispered.

"Yes, he just knows us too well."

They grinned and jumped on their beds, which caused the bed to groan and the floor to squeak. Remus groaned. They made as much noise as they could to annoy their light-sleeper friend while getting comfortable.

Soon, all four boys were snoring, disrupting the silence of the night.

**So, tell me what you think. This is also the longest chapter I've ever written, weighing in at 2,325 words. **

**Check out my profile, for I have a new poll. I'm also a Beta reader now, so you can send whatever you want to me, if need be.**


	7. Of Sneaking and Dreams

**Hey, guys. I can't believe it's been, like, half a month since I've updated. You should admonish me for being such a bad updater. **

**I like Christmas, even though I'm a hardcore Atheist and I go to a Catholic school…..I don't make sense, but whatever. I hope you enjoy whatever holidays you have to look forward to….unless you're Jewish….you're holiday week already passed. If you want to tell me how you're holidays were, you can message me or leave it at the end of your reviews. I'm rambling...NOW ON TO THE CHAPTER!**

_Wednesday, January 8, 1975 (Ten minutes until the Prefect meeting starts)_

"Remus, are you coming?" asked Lily, who was waiting by the common room door. Remus nodded and said goodbye to his friends. He got up and left with Lily.

"I hate how she's so nice to him, but not to the rest of us," said Sirius.

"She's nice to me," said Peter, his stare fixated on the cards he had in his hand.

"That's because you're not a 'pompous and arrogant toe rag'," quoted James, his tone bitter.

"Mate, you're still hung up on her?" asked Sirius.

"I had no idea," he growled. "Can we just get back to the game?"

"Did you finish your chart for Astronomy?" asked Peter nonchalantly. James and Sirius threw their cards down and hurried to get their schoolbags.

"They're ridiculous," Peter said to himself.

"Pete, you're really good at Astronomy. Help us," begged Sirius.

"Very well," he said, pulling Sirius' paper towards him. "Sirius, this is a picture of Marl-"

"So, how was your break?" asked Lily, drifting away from Remus.

"Good, yours?"

"Fine." There was a silence, then, "Remus, could you tell the rest of your friends not to prank my friends? Or me?"

"I dunno, Lily. They're hardcore pranksters."

"But you participate, too!"

"They're my mates. I help them because they're too stupid to figure out the mechanics of the prank by themselves."

Lily playfully slapped him on the arm. "Remus, I never thought you would be the snobby one out of your friends."

"Please, they would die without me!" he laughed, she giggled along with him.

"What room are we in today?" she asked. Remus looked at the ink scrawled on his palm.

"We passed it. It's that room," he said, pointing to the classroom labeled 202.

"I hope they didn't start without us," said Lily, sounding slightly worried. They calmly walked into the room to find all of the Prefects milling about, some chatting in the corner, others sitting by themselves on the chairs in the middle of the room.

"Where is Mane?" asked a sixth year Ravenclaw Prefect.

"Oh, shut up, Amanda!" yelled a boy from across the room.

"Nobody asked you, Damon," Amanda responded.

"Oi!" came a booming voice. Dash Mane peeked from around the edge of the doorway, his shaggy blonde hair falling in his eyes

"Sorry about being late, everyone. Head Girl has the flu, practically had to wrestle her off of me 'cause, for some reason, she wanted to see you lot." Amanda giggled and Damon rolled his eyes at her.

"I just came down to post the rounds. After you take a look at 'em, you can leave," said the Head Boy. He produced a parchment scroll from his robe, said goodbye and dashed off. Everyone crowded around the schedule, rushing to leave the room and head back to their respective common rooms.

"Remus," said Lily, tugging him back into his chair, "we should just wait everyone out." He nodded. Neither talked, but instead they sat and watched the other students look up their names.

"Do you know how to sneak out of the castle at night?" Lily asked. Remus' eyes widened at this unexpected question.

"Yes, but why do you, Miss Goody Two Shoes, need to know?"

"I need to go get my stupid dog."

"He's at Hagrid's, right?"

"Yeah, and I already wrote to my mum and told her that she should be expecting me tomorrow. I probably need to go see Dumbledore during lunch."

"I think I know someone who can help you get out," he trailed off. Lily waiting for him to mention this 'somebody's' name, but her mouth formed an 'o' shape as she realized who he was talking about.

"No way am I traipsing about the castle at night with Potter!"

"C'mon, Lily, he won't bite. I'll go if you want me to."

"I guess, but this is only one time. Not one more than that."

"I know, but James is even slicker than Sirius when it comes to sneaking about."

"Whatever, can we go look at our patrolling schedule now?" she said, slightly annoyed. He smiled and helped her out of her chair. Lily put her finger to the paper and found her name.

"I have Friday with Anthony Treybech," she groaned. Anthony was notoriously known for being very thickheaded, despite his friendly demeanor. "Why couldn't I have gotten Toby?"

"Do you fancy Pike?" asked Remus. Lily blushed.

"Remus, that's a very intrusive question. A girl never reveals whom she fancies, especially to the best friend of her enemy.

"I see how it is," he said. Lily turned back to the list and looked for his name.

"You have tomorrow with Amanda."

"Great. All she's going to talk about is how gorgeous Mane is," he said. Remus pointed his wand at the candles attached to the walls; they instantly sputtered and went out.

"Lumos," said Lily, her wand flared, bathing her and Remus in a dull light. Soon, Remus' wand was glowing, doubling the strength of the light. The pair exited the room and raced up the stairs. Collapsing on the sofa, their chests heaving, they began to laugh, softly at first, but gradually louder as regained the ability to breathe normally.

"Oi, Moony!" growled Sirius, his footsteps padding against the marble stairs.

"What, Sirius?"

"What are you doin'?"

"Talking to Lily, which reminds me, can you go get James?"

"But he's sleeping."

"Then go wake him up."

"But…he'll kill me."

"James isn't that grumpy when you wake him up," said Remus.

"How would you know? You've never woken him up!" exclaimed Sirius.

"How grumpy is Potter when you wake him?" asked Lily. Sirius turned to her, as if noticing that she was there for the first time.

"Imagine waking up a lion. He's like a giant grumpy cat," he responded.

"Fine, Pads, I'll wake him up," said Remus.

"Fine," said Sirius, "you can go be mauled if you want." Remus rolled his eyes and jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Sirius jumped on the sofa and smushed himself between the pillows, causing Lily to scoot farther down the sofa.

The two sat in an awkward silence until Lily stood and went up the staircase, Sirius following her after a moment's hesitation. She opened the door marked Fifth Years and let out an irritated noise.

Remus was shaking James' almost lifeless body, until James started to thrash about, clipping Remus in the shoulder. Remus ducked and fell to the floor as Sirius bounded to the bed and restrained James.

"Mate, wake up!" he hissed. James' eyes opened groggily and his arm stopped mid-swing when he recognized his friend.

"Dude, what were you trying to do?" asked James, obviously very grumpy, just how Sirius had described.

"Wake you up," said Sirius.

"Why would you want to do that?" he asked, pushing Sirius off him, who yelped as he hit the ground. James righted himself and blindly reached for his glasses, which he fumbled with before getting them to stay.

"Well, Lily needs some help and I thought of you," said Remus.

"Evans needs help? From me?" he asked incredulously. "That's rich."

"Well, will you help her?"

"With what, may I ask?"

"Sneaking out of the castle to get her dog from Hagrid," said Remus. James smiled as he leaped out of bed and undid the lock on his trunk. He moved shirts and pants, textbooks and candy wrappers out of the way as he searched.

"Finally!" he said, holding his Invisibility Cloak in front of him. Peter snored louder, as if in protest of the chatter disturbing his slumber. Everyone glanced at him, even Lily, who was still tucked in the shadows.

"Look, Potter, are you willing to help me or not?" asked Lily. Everyone jumped, even Sirius, who knew she was there.

"Yes, I am. Let's go!" James reached for her arm, but she retracted it and kept it firmly planted to her side.

"Remus, are you coming?" she asked.

"What about me?" asked Sirius. "I want to roam the castle."

"Guys, we're getting too tall for all of us to fit under the cloak now," said James.

"But, Jamesie, I wanna come," whined Sirius.

"No, Sirius," he said. "And stop calling me Jamesie. It's embarrassing."

"Okay, I won't go, Jamesie."

"Urgh," was the sound that escaped from James' throat.

"Look," said James, throwing the Cloak over him, "it barely covers me, let alone the three of us and Evans, and she's tiny."

"Fine, whatever," said Sirius, flopping into bed and disappearing under the covers.

"How 'bout you just give me your fancy schmancy Cloak and I'll be on my way," huffed Lily, reaching for the fabric, but James pulled it away.

"How about I just escort you there?"

"Fine, I want to get this over with," she said, marching down the stairs. James fist-bumped Remus, who looked rather unenthusiastic, and bounded after Lily.

"So, Evans, why is your dog at Hogwarts?" he asked, draping the Cloak over them.

"He stowed away. And I'd rather not talk during this adventure, if that's alright with you," she said, turning down the empty corridor.

"Uh, Evans," said James, tapping her shoulder, "wrong way." Lily said nothing, but she wordlessly followed him, careful not to tread on the fabric.

They slipped behind a tapestry and James lit his wand. Smelling the dampness of dirt, Lily wrinkled her nose in the darkness, causing her to trip herself. She knocked into James who turned mid-air. Lily landed on his abdomen with a thump as he hit the floor with a solid crack.

"Great job there, Evans," he hissed, "wake the whole bloody castle." She jumped away from his body, as if she just realized that he was on fire. Dusting themselves off, they continued, both watching their steps carefully, and soon emerged onto the sloping, grassy grounds.

Hagrid's hut had small, smoke rings escaping from the chimney, while light poured from his windows and flooded the garden that lay below. A small mouse ran in front of Lily, who almost whimpered, but was quieted by James' hand around her mouth.

James knocked on the heavy wooden door, which opened the tiniest bit so Hagrid could peek out.

"Who's there?" the half-giant asked.

"Nobody," said James; Lily half-smiled as she recognized the scene from _The Odyssey._

"Oi, Potter, you be scarin' the likes o' me sometimes." Hagrid opened the door further, allowing the pair to slip past. He shut it quietly and closed the curtains. James folded the Invisibility Cloak and stuffed it in his back pocket.

Lily glanced around, looking for Nettle, who she found slumbering in a large dog bed accompanied by Hagrid's Great Dane, Rosie.

"Lily?" asked Hagrid, squinting at her. He turned his head back to James, then back to Lily. "Yeh two were travelin' together? Without killin'?"

"Yes, Hagrid, sometimes we work rather well together," said James.

"Yeah, especially when we're not talking," quipped Lily.

"Oi, yeh two, shaddup. Yeh're goin' to wake Rosie an' Nettle," hissed Hagrid. "Now, Lily, I talked ter Dumbledore abou' your pup an' he said yeh can Floo back home durin' lunch."

"Really?" she asked. "That's very sweet, Hagrid. Thank you."

"I guess Nettle can stay 'till then, no use in troublin' ev'ryone about where the pup stays."

"Thanks, Hagrid."

"Hey, Hagrid," said James, "can I have one of these buns? Peter loves them."

"Yeh know that you can have whatever yeh want from me." James smiled and wrapped the small bun in a napkin, tucking it into his shirt pocket.

"Alright, Evans, it's time to go. Thanks, Hagrid. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Hagrid nodded and playfully shooed them out of his house. Lily felt the Cloak settle on her shoulders once more. They made their way back through the castle, where nothing moved nor creaked, save for the moving staircases, which rattled in midair.

The pair hurried past one staircase that began to move, but James was on the unmoving one. He successfully jumped between the two without injury and they continued climbing until they reached the seventh floor.

"Mr. Potter, I'd rather not be woken in the middle of the night," complained the Fat Lady. "It's taking a toll on me. Do you see this spot? You and your marauding friends caused it."

"Sorry 'bout that, but can we just get in the common room?"

"Is that Lily Evans?" asked the Fat Lady.

"Yes," Lily said. "Yes, we know we're not fighting, but all I want right now is to go to bed." The portrait swung open and Lily pushed in front of James, muttering something about chivalry.

"'Night, Evans," said Potter. He received no response from the girl he fancied, just the sound of her feet on the stairs as she wordlessly went to her room.

He went up slowly, shaking his head as he did so. He soundlessly climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling.

_James, you only want her for her. She's just another girl. What's so different about her? _the imaginary figure on his left said.

_But, James, you know that she's smart and pretty. You know that she's different. She's not like the others. She doesn't _want_ to go out with you because of your looks. She doesn't want to go out with you until you change for the better, _said the figure in white on his right.

He swatted the two figments away and slipped into a dream state, where he was arriving at a house with a small white fence and ivy twisting around the masonry. He saw two figures in the window: a young woman with a baby on her hip, swaying to music. The woman laughing as the child made a funny face. He walked in the house and was greeted by the woman with a kiss and a delightful giggle from the infant.

He looked behind the redheaded woman and saw himself, an older version, taller and more masculine.

This was the dream James loved, this was the dream James was unsure about.

**I hope you liked it. This is my longest chapter so far (2,350 words) and I wasn't really sure about the angel/devil thing on the shoulder, or the dream, but it's, like, five o'clock in the morning right now, so I don't really care if it makes sense (okay, I care, but I'm tired). I would love to hear from you and I hope you had the best holidays!**

**P.S. If anyone goes on or meme sites, you may have seen the reference to Tard the Grumpy Cat, who is one of my favorite cats, behind Colonel Meow.**


	8. Of Flooping and Helping

**I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was almost finished and then we had to go to a family friend's for dinner and we didn't get back home until really late. Break is almost over and I still have to write two papers…screw me, but I'd rather do this because it's more fun. **

**Enjoy!**

_Thursday, January 9, 1975 (Noon)_

Lily walked from Hagrid's with Nettle leading the way, his short body almost disappearing in the thick snow that had fallen overnight.

"C'mon, Nettle," she said, pulling him to the right. He barked playfully and dug his nose in the snow.

"Yes, you're adorable, but I don't want to freeze to death." She scooped him up and walked slowly, for the dog was trying to lick her face.

Making it to the main hallway, Lily headed in the direction of Dumbledore's office.

"Sugar Quills," she said to the statue guarding his door, which immediately hopped to the side, allowing her entrance.

Climbing the stairs, Lily heard Dumbledore talking to someone. She knocked on the door and the already muffled talking ceased.

"Come in, Miss Evans," said the headmaster. She pushed the door open.

James was lounging in the chair before Dumbledore's desk, a smile on his lips.

"So this is Nettle. Hagrid's has told me much about him," said Dumbledore, rising from his chair to pet the puppy.

"He's a misbehaved stowaway," said Lily.

"Well, I guess that it is time for him to return home. Mr. Potter will escort you home. He is very adept with Floo travel."

Lily grimaced on the inside, but smiled shyly. "Yes, sir." Dumbledore plucked an open jar of Floor powder from above the mantel of his fireplace and held it out to Lily, who reached into the silky powder and grabbed just enough; James did the same.

Throwing the powder into the vibrant flames, James looked pointedly at Lily, who blushed and hastily said her address. They stepped into the fireplace together, Nettle still huddled in Lily's arms and, with a jolt, they spun off.

They landed with a thump in the soot of an unused fireplace.

"Evans, where did you take us?" grunted Potter. Lily looked around and groaned.

"This is a public fireplace. I used to come here when I was little."

"Well, why are we here?" he asked.

"I don't know, maybe because you looked at me and you made me rush my words, which, in turn, screwed up the process," she voice rising.

"Maybe it's not my fault! Maybe it's all yours!" he yelled back. He breathed in and out. Now calmer, he said, "Look, how far away are we from your house?"

"Walking…I guess about twenty minutes."

"Okay. Let's go." Walking in silence, they left the stone pavilion that had benches, which overlooked a large pond. The breeze blew, rustling old trash that no one had ever bothered to pick up. They walked under the shade of trees and passed an old man who looked at their uniforms with curiosity.

Lily undid Nettle's leash and once he was free, he ran into the tall grass and barked at the ducks lounging on the bank of a small pond. Lily smiled to herself as Nettle ran back to her, his tongue behind him and his fur pushed back.

They passed the boundary of the park and crossed the street. Walking down the long, sloping sidewalk, the two walked with stillness between them.

Twenty minutes later, Lily pointed at a house with a red door and shutters. Wrought iron fencing separated the grass from the cobblestones.

Lily hopped up the stairs and rang the doorbell. James stared at her as she pushed the button.

"What does that do?" he asked.

"You've never seen a doorbell before?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm a Pureblood. We don't use Muggle things."

"Well, when you press it, there's a speaker in the house and it makes a noise to let the people in the house know that there is someone at their door," she explained.

"That's brilliant. Muggles have done so well without magic, almost better than wizards."

"Yeah, well," she trailed off as the door opened.

"Lily?" asked Rose Evans. "What are you—oh, right, I forgot about Nettle. Come in! Who might you be, young man?"

"James, James Potter," he responded with diligence. Rose smiled at him warmly and opened the door to let them in the house.

"Well, mum, here's your miscreant of a dog. Potter and I have to be off now," said Lily, placing Nettle on the floor.

"Dear, you said that you would be Flooping in. Where did you walk from?"

"Mum," Lily groaned, "it's _Flooing_, not Flooping. And I mumbled the address, causing us to land in the public fireplaces."

"Oh, dear. Must you leave so soon?"

"Yes," interjected James, "We have to be back before lunch ends, ma'am."

"I guess that you should leave now," said Rose, checking her watch. Lily glared at Potter as she pulled a jam jar of Floo powder off the mantle.

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Evans," said James politely.

"It was nice meeting you, too, James." Lily thrusted the jar at James, who took some powder. Throwing their powder into the flames, James said, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

They stepped in the fireplace, and, with a final wave from Lily, they were gone. Both of their knees locked upon landing in Dumbledore's office.

"Hello, Professor," said James, smiling. Dumbledore peered over his glasses.

"Hmm," he said, peering at the clock on his wall. "Lunch is almost over. You are dismissed. Oh, and Mr. Potter, I will continue speaking to you after classes. Bring Mr. Black with you."

"Yes, Professor," he said. Lily had started for the door and James caught up to her. Silently taking the stairs, they went in separate directions.

James entered the Great Hall to find it mostly empty, except for a few upperclassmen that had no classes. James spotted his friends quickly and put a finger to his lips when Peter saw him. He snuck up behind Sirius and Remus and yanked on their hair. Sirius yelped and fell backwards off the bench as Remus yelled at James to bugger off.

Sirius dramatically clawed at James' leg and pulled himself up. He lightly punched James in the stomach and smiled.

"Never touch my hair again, or I'll maim you in every way I know how," said Sirius.

"Jeez, Padfoot, I never thought that you would entertain the thought of killing your best mate over hair," responded James.

"I would do anything for my hair."

"Someone needs to get a life," muttered Remus, Peter started laughing with Remus. Sirius stared at them, but they continued to laugh. Sirius grabbed two rolls from the bread basket and threw them at Remus and Peter.

"All right, mate. Enough," said James, who also swiped a roll and began eating it. Sirius pouted and grabbed his schoolbag.

"We're going to be so late for Potions," moaned Remus.

"Slughorn's going to kill us," said Peter.

They hurried out of the doors, only James stopped to pluck one more roll before dashing out the Great Hall. They slowed their pace as they arrived at the Potions room. They could hear Slughorn talking over hushed conversation.

They burst into the room, Sirius and James with smirks and Remus and Peter behind their taller friends.

"Hello, Professor Slughorn," shouted Sirius. The Slytherins looked at him, obviously annoyed.

"Hello, Mr. Black, can you tell me why you and your posse are late?"  
"Well," started Sirius, "we were outside, lounging under a tree when James decided to be stupid and go into the lake. We all told him that he shouldn't, but you know James, he did it anyway. The Giant Squid lashed out its tentacles and one hit James. And the squid was pulling James in, probably to feed on his handsome face, but us courageous Gryffindors and loyal friends jumped in and started throwing spells left and right. Remus' spell caught the squid's tentacle and it let go. We pulled James out and he almost passed out. We had to carry him into the castle and dry him off and slap him awake. That's why we were late, Professor, for saving our mate's life."

"Very believable, Mr. Black. I'm too tired to argue with you about the veracity your story, so just sit down and be quiet for the rest of the period. And Mr. Potter, I think it would be advisable to stay away from the lake, even if it didn't happen," said Slughorn, turning his back to the four boys and striding back to the front of the classroom.

Sirius and James fist-bumped and took their seats behind Remus and Peter.

"That was a good story for on the spot, Pads," hissed James.

"I know, but I've been working on that one since we were halfway here," Sirius replied.

"Still," shrugged James. Sirius smiled and took out his notebook.

"Marlene, do you even see what happened?" asked Lily.

"Yes, I did. Black is quite the con artist when it comes to making up stupid stories."

"But, still, they got off detention. That's not fair."

"Lily, what do you expect? They're boys! They are good at making mischief," said Marlene, turning back to her notes, which consisted of many doodles. Lily huffed and rolled her eyes at her friend's lack of skill at note taking.

"Where is Alice?" asked Mary.

"She's over there with Longbottom," said Emmeline.

"Don't call him by his last name, Emmy, it's embarrassing for him," said Mary.

"Longbottom," said Emmeline, but this time, she said it directly in Mary's face, who laughed.

"Miss MacDonald, do you have something you want to tell the rest of the class?" asked Slughorn.

"No. Sorry, Professor," blushed Marlene.

"Very well then," he said, ready to turn back to the board when he glanced at Severus Snape. "Mr. Snape, please refrain from scribbling in your textbook."

Severus glared at him through the strands of his long hair and stopped writing for a moment before taking his quill and intentionally making loud scratching noises with it. The bell rung and everyone jumped up.

Lily, Mary and Marlene said goodbye to Alice and Emmeline as they headed off to Arithmancy with Remus and Frank. The three girls and the rest of the Marauders climbed the stairs to the second floor.

They entered the classroom and took their seats, which were arranged in a circle. Professor Kettleburn stood in the middle next to a cage with five Jack Russell terriers in it, but these dogs had forked tails.

Once everyone was settled, Professor Kettleburn said, "Today we are learning about Crups."

The Gryffindors peered over their classmates in interest while the Slytherins, despite them being in the back of the classroom, scooted back in disgust.

Lily raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Evans?" asked Professor Kettleburn.

"Aren't Crups harmful to Muggles?" she asked.

"Yes, they can be, but their handlers should know not to let them near Muggles," she answered. "Now, I will be passing the Crups around, please be gentle with them. They are _living_ animals."

She opened the cage, reached into it, and retrieved two Crups; she handed them to opposite sides of the room. She gave the rest to other students. The girls fawned over the dogs, while the boys were sticking their fingers in their mouths, allowing the young dogs to teeth.

The Slytherins begrudgingly took the Crups from the person next to them, did a once over and passed it down.

"Crups are wizard-dogs and are most likely a result of magic that the Ministry can't track. They are very loyal to wizards and wizards only, and, as Miss Evans has said, are very ferocious to Muggles. They have been known to break bones and draw blood if left unattended. Their tails must be cut off with a Severing Charm, it does not hurt them, so don't worry, but this is only if the wizard will be interacting with Muggles with the Crup around."

Some students wrote in their notebooks, while others, like James, Sirius and Peter promised to memorize what she had just said. The Gryffindors pushed their chairs back and sat on the floor, all five Crups in their possession. Lily, Mary and Marlene, the Marauders and some of the nicer Slytherins each had one Crup.

The students played with the Crups until the bell rang and reluctantly gave them back to Professor Kettleburn as they packed up.

"Ugh," groaned James, "I have to go see Dumbledore."

"Haha," teased Sirius.

"It's funny because he told me to bring you.'

"What?" Sirius deadpanned.

"Yep," smiled James. "Pete, we'll escort you to Remus before we go to Dumbledore."

"Thanks," said Peter. "I think he said that he's going to be in the common room."

The boys left Peter with Remus on the Gryffindor common room couch and dashed down to Dumbledore's office.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black. Have a seat." The two boys sat down.

"While everyone enjoys your pranks, except the one being pranked, your professors are becoming quite annoyed."

"But we don't harm anyone," protested Sirius.

"Yes, Mr. Black, I am aware of your harmless pranks, but, nonetheless, I must ask you to tone it down, even though I know that you have no intention of doing this."

"Then why are you telling us," asked James.

"Because the other professors demanded that I talk to you. And Professor Slughorn has specifically asked me to reprimand you for your constant tardiness to his class. If any of your professors ask if I spoke with you, tell them I did."

"Are we allowed to leave now?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, Mr. Black. Have a good day, Mr. Black, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore winked at them and went up the spiral staircase behind his desk. The boys left his office and went back to the common room.

"Can we go now?" whined Sirius. Remus slapped him on the back of his head.

"Yes, you mutt."

"Hurry. I'm going to die of hunger."

"Padfoot, why are you so dramatic…all of the time?" asked James.

"Because I can and because I'm a very good actor."

"You're not even a good actor," reasoned Remus.

"Sometimes he is," said Peter.

"Thanks for the support, buddy," said Sirius.

"I said _sometimes_," replied Peter.

"I take back my thanks, but back to my problem. I'm still hungry. Feed me."

"Feed yourself," said James. Sirius tugged on James' hand, pulling him towards the stairs. "Alright, you little bugger, we'll go to dinner."

"Where were you during lunch, Prongs?" asked Remus.

"I had to escort Evans home."

"You and her? Escorted?" laughed Sirius between breaths.

"Shut up, you git."

"Dumbledore made him escort you? How did you not kill James…I mean, Potter?" asked Marlene.

"We stayed silent most of the time, but I'm pretty sure my mum has a crush on him. He kept breaking out his manners, calling her ma'am and being all polite. Everyone likes him but me. I'm the only sane one," rambled Lily.

Her friends shook their heads as they went into the Great Hall. "Lily, the more you talk about him, the more it sounds that you like him," teased Marlene.

"I'll be quiet," said Lily.

"For how long?" asked Emmeline.

"Not very long," said Alice. "The longest I've ever seen her _not_ talk was two minutes."

"Then should be fun," said Marlene, cracking her knuckles menacingly. Lily shook her head wildly, her eyes widening.

"Leave her alone, Mar," said Alice, her nice side showing.

"But, Ali—"

"No buts."

"Fine," said Marlene. She turned to Lily. "How long are you going to stay like this?" Lily made an infinity sign with her fingers and held them up. Marlene scoffed at her friend before sitting down.

After eating dinner, Frank came over from his friends and sat down next to Alice; she blushed when he started stammering. The four other girls left them with winks, which were mostly from Marlene, and went to their dorm, where they stayed up until Alice came up.

"So, what did he say?" asked Mary, always the first to ask about anything romantic.

"HE ASKED ME OUT!" Alice squealed.

"Woohoo!" said Marlene.

"Can we go to bed now?" asked Emmeline. "I'm exhausted."

"Killjoy," said Lily, as she nudged Emmeline's arm. "Congrats, Ali."

Marlene jumped up and pointed at Lily. "She spoke! She broke the rules!"

Alice smiled and was pulled into the bathroom with Mary, who wanted to hear all of the details.

"You guys are the best," said Frank.

"You're welcome, Frank," said James.

"I don't think I could've ever done that without you guys."

"Don't get _too_ emotional, Frankie," said Sirius, pulling his covers over his head.

"Sorry 'bout that. It's just that I've liked her for so long. I probably sound like some stalker," Frank gushed.

"I know how you feel," said James wistfully. "G'night." He turned out the light and Peter's and Sirius' snores soon joined together in harmony.

**Officially my longest chapter (2,788 words). I must be annoying you guys with that.**

** If you liked this chapter, tell me what you think about it! See you next year!**

** Happy New Year!**


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